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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Oldboy Review - 3 Stars

Spike Lee re-makes a Korean revenge classic as an urban mystery. Josh Brolin plays an alcoholic on a bender who wakes up in a room in which he is imprisoned for twenty years. One day for no apparent reason he is released, and sets about looking for revenge. “Oldboy” has a touch of “Pulp Fiction” mixed with classic Hitchcock style. I thought it fascination to watch Brolin unravel the mystery. He gets help from Elizabeth Olson. You’d better prepare yourself for the violence including a scene where the great Samuel Jackson almost has his head pulled off, and an Asian style death dance featuring a claw hammer. I like Spike Lee. This latest feels different from his other films. I could almost hear him giggling as he pulls us into this web which leads to a shock and jolt and an ending that could only serve as the ending of this story. Does it deliver what it promises? Spike Lee Film Noir. Is it entertaining? Fascinating. Is it worth the price of admission? Unnerving fun.